Lenuran had not expected his words to have such an effect on the others, but with the First Council proclaiming him as far more than a simple scribe, he should have seen the possibility of this happening.
Taking a quick sip of his wine and looking towards the east for a moment, Lenuran knew he could stall no longer. With a steady voice that seemed to pull each of the listeners just a little closer towards him, Lenuran started to speak.
"The last time I was in Hommlet was almost a decade ago, just after the original Temple was destroyed. I was sent to the village, as it was little more than that at the time, to collect what information I could on those who had ventured into that vile place. Sadly all there was for me to gather were the memories of the people they briefly interacted with as they passed through the town. After I found out that thee was little to be gained from visiting the famous landmarks of the moathouse, the town of Nulb, or the insides of the temple itself, I began searching for the homelands of the heroes and met with little success there as well."
Feeling that those gathered cared little to hear about the things he could not provide for them, Lenuran focused instead on the information that he could give them.
"There is a castle, well they call it a castle but it is little more than a glorified watch tower, built by two locals named Burne and Rufus. I was never invited inside, so I can tell you little more than it appears solid and the locals draw a measure of confidence from its presence. Elmo was seen a buffoon who managed to keep the militia running despite his shortcomings, but I know this only from whispered conversations that I had with many of the townsfolk while I rested in the Welcome Wench. To be honest I am surprised to hear the First Council mention him again."
Reaching down and brining his glass to his lips once more, Lenuran moistened his lips and resumed his narrative.
"I only had the pleasure to speak directly with two of the junior priests of the Church of St. Cuthbert, Calmer and Terjon were their names. They mentioned the Canoness many times, but I was not in Hommlet long enough to press the issue of meeting her. It was Ostler Gundigoot's advice that I heeded in this regard, I wonder if he still runs the Wench as he was an old man when I first met him, as he knew the pulse of the town like no other."
Lenuran's smile fades as his mind recalled the darker memories of the small town.
"Even good people can be fooled though, as the Temple had spies planted in the Trading Post and even though they were eventually discovered, the damage was done to the morale of the town. Cuthbert himself alone knows what jail those two have been condemned to spend the remainder of their days.
Forcing himself to shake off the dark cloud, Lenuran refocused on the many positive memories that he carried from his visit.
"There are many good people that I hope still call Hommlet home. A dear friend of mine, Madame Naddy Tomanloft, ran a small leatherworking shop. She was a fine craftsman, and the fact that she is a fellow gnome is not a fact I would overlook.
A fine wizard also called that town his home, and Spugnoir and I shared more than one bottle of imported elvish wine while I was in town. The druid Jaroo Ashstaff of the Old Faith also keeps a home in the small grove he calls his own. It was a pleasure getting to spend many mornings in that small slice of paradise."
Taking the last swallow from his glass of wine, Lenuran placed it back on the table and placed his hands on the edge of the table.
"I wish I could tell you more, but I was in town for less than two weeks before I moved onwards."